Sure Guard Universal Hydraulic Fluid?

[OrangeRidge]

I love this "oil discussion" stuff
Hydro-pump oil is about "what it is" and sooooooo many
punters can't see beyond the $ signs ..............
For small , high speed pump drives , the viscosity is very
important .
UTTO ( like UDT ) is 20w , SUDT is 10w/20 , JDHYGard is 10w/30.
EVERY man and his dog makes/sells UTTO , and that's why there
are a hundred and one brands . This is however not what should
be put in a high-speed pump . This is why JD have a lower cold-start
10w/30 ; just because of the 2000 range hydro-pump situation.
Get the correct viscosity . SUDT or JD . 20w is too viscous and
will slow the engine rev. rate too. If you're **** bent on cost , the
JD is cheaper ..............

P.S. I use JD because I can't get SUDT here ; no complaints with it whatsoever !

 

[swampvol]

Punters?

 

[bp fick]

Punters?

Slang. OZ for "one who pays", ie customer. Also, one who bets or wagers.

Was that close? :laughing:

 

[OrangeRidge]

Spot on ! I've got to be careful with my terminology on US
forums ; upset a few folk on LRRForum over the years

 

[eepete]

Orange Ridge, are you using the regular or low viscosity HyGuard ?

Pete

 

[IslandTractor]

AFAIK, Kubota contracts oil companies, yes, Ashland in the US, but others in Canada and elsewhere, to make the fluid to Kubota's specs. That is not quite re-branding. Sort of tailor made. Canada has only Premium udt.

No, Kubota isn't an oil company, thus the contracts to their specs.

IslandTractor, I see you are a Kioti owner and as far as I know, Kioti doesn't do the tailored fluid contract thing.

I don't have experience with the larger Kubota tractors and their fussiness one way or the other, regarding fluid. I do have experience with the BX and a B series I now own. I can absolutely tell you that SUDT makes the BX work better, quieter and more predictable. No, I don't think there is fairy dust in SUDT, but it is a very, very low viscosity fluid. It has an additive package that is likely unique. That combination simply isn't readily available elsewhere with generic fluids. When I tried an "over the counter" fluid, it was immediately noticeable and it wasn't good. Foaming, jerkiness, increased whine among other things. I know that is merely testimonial evidence, but it sure showed me something, and I am no Kool Aid drinker.

Also, it isn't 4 times as much either. TSC premium is $29 a gallon and SUDT is $39 a gallon at my dealer, with my customer discount. That is higher, but nowhere near even twice as expensive. FWIW.

I can understand that the BX and smaller Kubotas might do better with low viscocity hydraulic oil such as SUDT. However, that is not the only source of low viscosity oil that contains antifoam agents etc. Just a very quick google search turns up quite a few local "manufacturers" who do exactly what Kubota does i.e. contract with a bigger oil company to produce in bulk a product formulation that the smaller company will then repackage and market. For example, a family owned oil company in Ohio, Akron Hydraulic, in business for over 80 years, sells a 10W hydraulic oil with anti foam, anti corrosion additives and they charge $44 for a 5 Gallon pail. That is about four times less expensive than Kubota's SUDT. Unless there is some very expensive fairy dust added to the Kubota product, what you guys are paying for is marketing and Kubota profits.

 

[OrangeRidge]

Orange Ridge, are you using the regular or low viscosity HyGuard ?

Pete

Over here , it's formulated as one product only and marketed as
a 10w/30 JDHYGuard oil. All the Kubby owners around my neck
of the woods are using this rather than the UDT/UTTO20w.
Our Kubbies arrive fluid drained , and are filled with 20w at
the Dealers; immediately drained for JD by purchasers who
know otherwise ! There's quite a difference in sound/response.

 

[David_Kb7uns]

Without a detailed analysis of the Super UDT and all its additive package, you guys are just guessing as to who comes the closest to the Kubota formula.
I am sure SUDT has been an evolution and tweaked over the years as Kubota has been on the leading edge of HST technolgy and has even published some papers on it. As other have said there are other fluids that are close but they do not give that much cost savings. All I know is if I use Super UDT in the Kubotas tha I have I have optimal performance and there will not be a warranty issue from Kubota. Not sure why people are always trying to cut corners on the fluid and especially on the charge pump filter. If you went to the hospital and they were out of your blood type and they were going to give you another and the nurse said it was just as good what would you do??

I am not sure what my dealer put in my L3130GST for the first fill but after putting in Super UDT it did shift quicker and was not hesitating to complete the shift.

David Kb7uns

 

[OrangeRidge]

They probably filled it with cheap 20w . These guys can really
annoy you at times. It's fraud , really ..............

 

[funwithahoe]

I don't know that answer, but it sure is an interesting question because sure enough....some of us do spend the extra for the Kubota-branded product.

So I'll try to answer it. The reasoning revolves around the tractor manufacturer being larger, more capable, and more technically knowledgeable about their mechanical product than the custom-blending oil companies. And of course Kubota has the largest stake in the actual performance of the oil. Being larger means they have they can - and hopefully do - hire more and better design engineers and have the facilities to actually test the oil in use in the machine. Having a larger stake means they shold have the motivation to do that testing and then make changes where they see an advantage.... Who else can do that?
rScotty

I agree - Thank you.